Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick and Gwen
by catiebugg
Summary: This will contain short stories of Gwen Miles, the girl-next-door to the Heffleys. She's always been hanging on Rodrick, just hoping that this bad boy would ask the sweet girl out. She practically died when he did.
1. Matter of Time

Matter of Time  
>She felt like a creep, in all honesty. But Gwen Miles did this pretty much everyday, so the creep factor started to either go away or she just got used to it. Either way, it was still odd. It was mid-January, and a light snow was falling on Surrey Street. Gwen was sitting on her front steps with a coat wrapped securely around her, a wool hat covering her dark brown wavy hair, and gloves with the tips of the fingers cut off. Just like he did.<br>Gwen rubbed her arms and chased that last thought from her head. Now she knew she was totally being a creep. But she couldn't help herself. Even as she scolded herself for being so creepy, Gwen glanced over longingly to her neighbors' yard. Greg Heffley was running away in vain from his older brother, Rodrick; and Gwen sighed, causing a puff of visible breath to linger from her mouth. She stared, transfixed on the older brother, who was now pelting poor little Greg with snowballs.  
>The teenage girl looked over Rodrick (like she hasn't done <em>that<em> before) and gave a small grin. His hazel eyes were crinkled with laughter at his brother's despair while his dark, almost black, hair was, Gwen noticed (of course), getting longer, and it almost covered his eyebrows. Rodrick was also wearing his cut-off gloves, and Gwen tucked her hands into her lap. She watched them for a little bit longer, but then Greg yelled at his brother and stomped back inside. Rodrick laughed and rolled his eyes, his gaze landing right on-  
>She froze.<br>He was _looking_ at her. Actually looking. Rodrick's laugh faded, but his smile strayed. Gwen knew she was blushing. She had to be. Her face was sure burning up. He looked at her for quite sometime in the silence. And Gwen saw that her breath was fogging up around her she was breathing so hard and fast. She glanced down, her silly grin still on her lips.  
>"Aren't you cold?"<br>Gwen snapped her head back up. He spoke to her-! _Stop that, Gwen,_ She though fiercely. _Answer him!_ Gwen nervously stroked a stray hair from her face and put it into her hat. Slowly, she looked back over and nearly had a heart attack when seeing that Rodrick had moved closer. So close, that he was standing on the edge of her sidewalk up to her house. Their eyes met, and she was rather startled to see that worry flashed in his beautiful hazel eyes.  
>"You okay?" He asked softly, abandoning his "tough boy" nature for the time being.<br>"I..." She could find no words, but she managed to say, "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just, you know...its cold."  
>Rodrick smiled and gave a small laugh. He shoved his hands into his skinny-jeans pockets and rocked back slightly on his black Converse. Gwen curled her toes in her own pink Converse.<br>"It is winter. That usually means its cold." Rodrick replied, that friendly smile still on his face.  
>It was Gwen's turn to release a laugh, and she only nodded, not trusting herself to say anything. Rodrick titled his head a little bit, as if inspecting her. Gwen glanced down again, her heart threatening to burst out from her three layers of clothes, plus her coat. She risked another look at him, and she saw that he was still standing there, looking at her. Gwen jumped slightly and looked back down.<br>"Gwen?"  
>He spoke her <em><strong>name<strong>_. Gwen immediately met his gaze, and she must've looked surprised because Rodrick laughed again. That wonderful, wonderful laugh that made her feel warm inside.  
>"What? You didn't think I'd remember your name?" He asked, teasing. "How could I forget something that important?"<br>Gwen blushed, not worrying if it showed or not. Her insides bubbled as he gestured to the stair.  
>"May I...?"<br>"Since when are you so polite?" Gwen blubbered before thinking, scooting over happily at the same time, but then quickly tried to apologize.  
>"Don't worry about it," Rodrick took over, laughing as he sat next to her (their arms were touched, as well as their legs, Gwen noted before mentally slapping sense into herself). "There's something about you that...hm, I guess shows the best of me."<br>Rodrick looked down at her, meeting her light blue eyes with his own. Gwen's heart went into panic, and she blushed, hoping he couldn't hear it. But, he could, and Rodrick was hoping that _she_ couldn't hear _his_ heartbeat. He released a rather shaky breath, and they were momentarily lost in the fog. When the "breath fog" dispersed, Gwen saw how close his face was to her's. She nearly screamed and fell backward, but she didn't move when she saw how nervous he was, too. Rodrick, nervous? It was unheard of! Yet, here Gwen was, making this bad boy shake...  
>"You know," He said, finally breaking the not-so-awkward silence. "You have really pretty eyes."<br>"So do you," Gwen added quickly, but softly.  
>"Gwen," Rodrick whispered, his voice breaking slightly.<br>Gwen noted that this was the first time she's ever seen Rodrick like this before he finished his statement. She was making him this way, _she_ was.  
>"Listen, I feel like I should've asked this a long time ago, but..." Before he finished, he looked her right in her sparkling blue eyes. "You wanna go out sometime? Like, you could watch my band rehearse sometime, or we could go to-"<br>"I'd love to," Gwen interrupted, feeling like she'd explode with joy. "Anything with you would be a good time."  
>Rodrick's face broke into a big smile. He started to stand, but quickly sat back down and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He unlocked the screen, rubbing away at the snowflakes that managed to get on, and then he scrolled down his contacts. His bare thumb paused on her name, which was indeed in his phone. She gasped silently. She gave him his number years ago. <em>Years<em>, yet he kept it...  
>"Oh, good, it's still in there," He muttered more to himself than her, it seemed. "I'll text you later, alright?"<br>Gwen, her throat swollen with ecstasy, only nodded happily, her mouth hurting from smiling so hard and long. Rodrick nodded again, and this time stood up, stowing his phone back in his pocket. He started walking backwards in the snow, his Converse crunching the new layer that accumulated. Gwen stood, too, watching him leave. He gave a crooked grin that nearly made her faint, his hand on his own door knob. With one last whispered, "Good-bye", they both opened their own doors and stepped into their separate houses.  
>Gwen released her long-awaited scream and bolted into her room. She slammed her door closed and flopped onto her bed, not bothering to strip herself of her many layers. She stared at the ceiling, feeling amazing and so many other emotions that whirled about her head and heart.<br>Five minutes later, she got a text from Rodrick.  
>***<p> 


	2. Studying Kinda

Studying. Kinda.  
>"You have to focus," Gwen said crossly but with a smile on her face.<br>She shook the pencil in her hand in front of Rodrick's smug face. It was pretty pointless. The two were sitting on his couch for almost an hour now, and Gwen only got him through one practice problem. She sighed, dropping her hand and leaning into him, frustrated and close to giving up.  
>A few weeks had pasted, and they were officially a couple. Gwen pinched herself multiple times when Rodrick asked, "So...are we like boyfriend and girlfriend now?" on their third date at the roller rink. At first, she shrugged, not wanting to look <em>too<em> desperate. He considered this, his arm around her shoulders. Some moments of silence went by, and Gwen finally gave in. "I hope so," She told him, and he smiled and kissed her cheek.  
>And Gwen thought she died. In a passionate frenzy of hormones and emotions, Gwen took his face in her hands and brought his lips to her own. Before either could react, she pulled away and stood up. Again, Gwen found herself stammering apologizes, but Rodrick stood up, too, and silenced her with a much better, and gentler kiss.<br>And that's how it all started, and how they got here, sitting on the Heffleys' couch and trying to study. Gwen tapped her pencil on the practice book in his lap in a vain attempt to get Rodrick's attention. And it was very in vain. He was busy playing with a strand of Gwen's wavy brown hair, his arm around her shoulders and his fingers toying with the lock of hair. His hazel gaze fell upon her blue eyes, and Gwen sighed.  
>"Shouldn't we be studying?" She questioned a bit harshly, waving the pencil at him again.<br>"Hm? Aren't we...?" Rodrick answered vaguely, rubbing her hair gently between his forefinger and thumb.  
>Gwen laughed and threw the pencil back into the book before closing it in defeat. She tossed her head back, looking up to the ceiling while resting on his arm. A silence wafted in, but neither minded it. They liked just being together like this. Rodrick continued to play with her hair.<br>"You're hopeless, Rodrick Heffley," She muttered playfully.  
>"That's why I have you." He murmured back before tenderly kissing her cheek like he did on that night. "You give me hope,"<br>Gwen, surprised at his statement, sat back up and turned slightly to face him directly. Her hands rested in her lap, one foot resting on the couch and the other wrapped slightly around Rodrick's leg. He blinked, not expecting her to move, but a grin played about his lips.  
>"Do you mean that?" whispered Gwen seriously.<br>"Well, of course I do," Rodrick answered firmly, the grin vanishing as he moved his arm on the back of the sofa to his leg. "Ever since you've come around, my grades have gotten better. You're a really good influence on me, Gwen."  
>She smiled, blushing for sure. Also, ever since she's been with Rodrick, her creepy instincts started to actually go away. Rodrick was now a regular guy to her, but you know, more at the same time. It was a little complicated in her mind, but regardless, she was more than ecstatic that she was with him.<br>"My parents like you, too-" He continued, but was cut off by Gwen.  
>"I've still never met them," She corrected, and then she tried to look around the room as if they'd appear. "They're here, aren't they? Why don't we go see them-?"<br>"I lied. My whole family went to something for Manny, I can't remember what, and they-"  
>"Left you here alone? Why would they do that?" Gwen asked suspiciously, a little sore from being lied to. "They would <em>never<em> do that. Especially after that party where you and your brother had to switch doors-"  
>"I don't know why either, but I'm glad they trusted me to do." Rodrick paused, taking Gwen's hand. "It was probably because I told them I was going to study with you."<br>Rodrick looked up at her through his long, shaggy dark hair. She kept telling him that it was getting too long, but Rodrick claimed that he needed it for the band. Drummers look better with long hair, he told her. And she rolled her eyes and accepted it. Gwen smiled at him, rolling her eyes now and leaned forward. He gladly allowed her to kiss his lips softly, and Rodrick moved closer to continue the kiss, but Gwen pulled away with a sly grin and the practice book in her hand.  
>"Well, let's do what your parents expect us to do," She glanced at the clock on a side table. "When should they be home?"<br>"Long after you've left." Rodrick said, stroking her hand with this thumb.  
>"Why are you so against them meeting me? I've met them before-"<br>"But not as my girlfriend," The word still made Gwen shudder with pleasure despite it all. "Things would be a little different...And what if they embarrass me or something? What if they scare you away?"  
>"Sorry, Rodrick," Gwen answered, leaning forward again. "I don't think anything could scare me away from you."<br>She kissed him swiftly before sitting like they were before; his arm resting around her shoulders, playing with her hair. Gwen lifted her legs and sat Indian-style, putting the book in her lap. Rodrick picked up the pencil with his free hand, twirling it absentmindedly, and opened the book himself.  
>A few minutes passed, and both found themselves distracted. Rodrick was starting a beat with the pencil, tapping it rhythmically on the now closed book while Gwen was falling asleep, and her head on his shoulder. He moved his arm slightly to get a more comfortable position and rest his hand on her shoulder. Gwen shifted and snuggled more into his chest, wrapping her arms around him. Rodrick grinned, still twirling the pencil in his free hand.<br>Then, the door opened. And the rest of the Heffleys came into the house.  
>***<p> 


	3. Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy  
>A day after Gwen met the Heffleys as Rodrick's girlfriend and was given a good screaming by her strict and uptight mother about being late, she had no choice but to drag, literally <em>drag<em>, Rodrick to her own house for dinner that next night. As she was pulling him across the pavement, Gwen kept making adjustments to Rodrick's outfit and hair. She finally managed to get him to get a hair cut, so his long dark hair was now not as long. Rodrick refused to cut off more than three inches, but Gwen made sure that the hair dresser did more than that. Instead of hanging just above his eyes, Rodrick's hair was dangling above his eyebrows. Even now he was tugging at his hair as if that would make it grow back.  
>Gwen slapped his hands away, and she licked her fingers before fixing Rodrick's hair by laying it flat and adjusting the stubborn sticking-up hairs. He tried to pull away, and Rodrick gladly voiced his strong, disagreeing opinion. But Gwen ignored him and continued on to his face. She stopped suddenly with a groan.<br>"_Eyeliner?_" shouted his girlfriend. "Seriously?"  
>"I thought it would-hey, <em>hey!<em>"  
>Gwen pulled out a handkerchief, licked a corner to a point, and started to work at his eyes mercilessly. Rodrick cursed and attempted to push her away, but Gwen was relentless. She grabbed his hands with her one free hand while she rubbed and rubbed at his hazel eyes. Managing to hold him still, Gwen finally dropped her hanky, which was now covered with black smears. She dangled the ruined handkerchief in his face with a disgruntled expression.<br>"This was the only one I had..." Gwen muttered, tucking the piece of cloth into her coat pocket. "I guess you'll have to do without it."  
>"Too bad," Rodrick remarked sarcastically as he tugged uncomfortably at his too-tight vest.<br>She shot him a glaring look, but otherwise ignored his remark. Rodrick released an irritated sigh. Other than the black vest, Gwen forced Rodrick to wear his best dress pants, which had to be washed that day because of a strange smelling stain and were still slightly damp, a clean and pressed white shirt (taken from his dad since Rodrick himself had no _clean_ dress shirts) and a pair of black dress shoes that were also borrowed from Mr. Heffley. Over all of this, Rodrick wore his usual grey jacket, which Gwen didn't totally approve of, but she didn't really have a say in that matter.  
>"Don't you want to look nice to them?" Gwen asked in an almost desperate tone. "Don't you want them to like you?"<br>"But this isn't _me_, Gwen." countered Rodrick, gesturing to his get-up. "You're the one that's always saying how I should be myself."  
>"And you can't <em>be<em> yourself around my parents." Gwen shot back. "Hypocrisy is a crazy thing, isn't it?" She paused, letting the heat of anger wash out of her. "I'm sorry, Rodrick, but if they knew the real you, they'd never let me..."  
>Rodrick's heated expression faded as his girlfriend seemed to shrink. He reached out to her, and Gwen gladly let herself fall into his embrace. In the chilly evening, standing in the middle of the sidewalk that led to both of their houses, they stood. Anxiety reeked from them both, but they knew it was now or never. Gwen pulled away, and Rodrick gave her a quick "apology" kiss. Feeling somewhat better, they joined hands and continued the short, but achingly long, walk to Gwen's house. They paused on the stairs, but didn't have to wait long for the door to open.<br>Mr. and Mrs. Miles stood there, both dressed as if they were going to a Hollywood premiere. With an expectant glace at Rodrick, Gwen took him inside. She smiled at her parents, Rodrick mirroring her expression, and introduced them all.  
>"Mom, Dad, this is Rodrick." Gwen started, her voice getting stronger with each word.<br>"It's nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Miles." Rodrick recited just like they practiced. "I'm pleased to be invited into your magnificent home-"  
>Gwen pulled on his hand a bit; a warning that he was taking it a bit far. Rodrick immediately reeled back in, but didn't need to say anything because Mr. Miles was speaking.<br>"It is good to finally meet you, Rodney-"  
>"Rodrick, Dad," Gwen corrected gently as she and Rodrick shed their coats.<br>"Hm, yes," Mr. Miles muttered with a very indifferent look, but his blue eyes (the same as Gwen's) were eyeing Rodrick carefully, like he was inspecting the nervous teen.  
>Rodrick hoped he wasn't showing that he was nervous as Gwen took his arm and led him into the dining room. It wasn't grand, but it wasn't like Rodrick's house, either. A medium sized crystal chandelier hung right above the table, which was set for five. Gwen titled her head at the plate.<br>"Wendy was coming...?" asked Gwen of her older sister, a slight strain in her voice.  
>"Oh, no, I forgot," Mrs. Miles replied, whisking the plate away. "She couldn't join us tonight, poor Wendy. Got caught up at work."<br>"Pity," Gwen said, though her voice lacked emotion and honesty.  
>"Well, go on and sit," Her mother said. "I'll go get the food."<br>"It smells wonderful, Mrs. Miles," Rodrick offered as he pulled out Gwen's chair like they rehearsed.  
>Mrs. Miles only gave a fleeting smile before disappearing into an adjoining room, which was the kitchen. As he sat down, Rodrick risked a quick glance at Gwen. She smiled at him, sign for "you're-doing-a-good-job-but-it's-not-over-yet." He swallowed a little while Mr. Miles took his seat across from Rodrick. Gwen's father took his napkin and placed his on his leg, and then he looked directly at Rodrick.<br>"Now, Robby-"  
>"Rodrick, Dad," clarified Gwen once more and she had a feeling it wouldn't be the last.<br>"Yes, yes, Rodrick, now tell me, what do you do? Do you have a job, hobbies?"  
>"Well, as of right now, I'm afraid I do not have a job," Rodrick started a bit feebly, but quickly continued on at Mr. Miles' unimpressed expression. "But, I have a few applications in already, so it's just a matter of time."<br>"Mhmm, and hobbies? My Gwenny tells me that you play an instrument?" Gwen blushed at her father's nickname, but only looked down. "Although, she never said which instrument. Is it piano? Or maybe violin?"  
>"Actually, I play-"<br>Before Rodrick could either lie or reveal the truth, Mrs. Miles came in, brandishing platters on her hands. Somehow, she was able to place all four on her arms, and she put one down on each plate. Rodrick reached for his utensils, but Gwen gave a slight shake of the head. With a well-hidden confused look, Rodrick glance at her, and Gwen nodded at her mother who was yet to sit down. When Mrs. Miles did so, they all took their utensils.  
>The dinner was eaten in, mostly, silence, except for the scratching of forks against the plates, which was mostly caused by Rodrick, and the occational question from Mr. Miles. Most were questions about Rodrick's family, which was strange since he was pretty sure that his father and Gwen's father worked at the same place, but he was happy to lie (mostly) about his family than himself.<br>Finally, dinner was over.  
>After Mrs. Miles took their plates away, Gwen stood almost straight-away. She smiled at her father as she pushed in her chair.<br>"This was nice, wasn't it?" She said, gesturing for Rodrick to stand, too, which he did happily.  
>"Hm, yes," Mr. Miles said again as he also stood up. "It was great meeting you, Ronald-"<br>"Dad," Gwen said through clenched teeth. "It's _Rodrick_."  
>"Oh, hm, yes," And then he shook Rodrick's hand, giving the same stare he did at the beginning of the night. "You must be doing something right, my boy. I've never seen my baby girl this happy-"<br>"Okay, Dad," stepped in Gwen, handing Rodrick his coat. "I think he's heard enough."  
>Gwen grabbed Rodrick's arm, anxious to get him out of her house, but they were stopped again at the door. Mr. Miles was standing in the archway that led the dining room with his hands in his pockets.<br>"And Rodrick," He said, actually using the teenager's name.  
>"Yes, sir?" Rodrick inquired, turning to face Mr. Miles.<br>"You missed some," Mr. Miles, with a grin, brought a finger to his eye and tapped.  
>Rodrick's eyes grew huge, because Mr. Miles could only be talking about one thing: the eyeliner. Gwen practically gasped as she turned Rodrick's face to her's. She clenched her jaw and widened her eyes at her boyfriend. Rodrick started to rub at his eye when Mr. Miles chuckled softly and turned away from the two teens, going into the kitchen with his wife. As soon as he was out of sight, Gwen slapped Rodrick's arm with a stern look on her face.<br>"See what you do?" She snapped, opening the door to face the windy, arctic blast.  
>"He laughed!" Rodrick countered as they stepped outside. "And what are you talking about? I think that went well."<br>Gwen slammed the door closed before facing him. Her face was white, whether it was of the cold or rage, Rodrick didn't know, but he _did_ know that night did go well. At least, he thought so. Gwen closed her eyes and gave way to a soft smile.  
>"I suppose you're right," She admitted, opening her eyes. "I've never seen them so...calm and collected. And Dad only messed up your name a few-"<br>"Hundred times," Rodrick finished, smiling. "And I was kinda myself, you know? Because of the eyeliner?"  
>"Yeah, now my dad thinks I'm dating some queer."<br>Rodrick laughed, taking her hands in his. He brought them to his lips and kissed her knuckles gently. Gwen blushed, but knew she couldn't do anything "romantic" because the light from her house was cast on the dark yard like it was the night before. Risking her parent's disapproval, Gwen leaned forward and kissed Rodrick full on the mouth.  
>There was something different in her kiss, like it was more hungry or desperate. Whatever it was, it made Rodrick pull away. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and Gwen mumbled an apology before pecking him quickly on the cheek, but Rodrick pulled her lips back to his own.<br>They shared a rather long kiss, both feeling hot and cold at the same time. Never before had either felt this way. The kiss was just perfect, like the way their lips moved against each other. It was perfect. There was just something about it...  
>And both never wanted it to end.<br>***


	4. Out of Frustration

Full Title: Only Doing Things Out of Frustration

Months went by faster than either Gwen or Rodrick expected, and they found themselves suddenly in the beginning of summer. Everything was going perfectly, but ever since that fateful kiss back in winter, Rodrick has been acting...strangely. Of course, Gwen took notice to this. She would ask him about it every now and then, but he would only shrug it off. This led to something big in their relationship.

It was the end of May; school just let out a few days ago. Gwen was heading over to Rodrick's garage for a band rehearsal, which, by the sounds of it, had already started. She winced slightly as the notes went off pitch, but she forced a smile as she entered the garage. The band took no heed to her entrance, and Gwen was used to that, but usually Rodrick would call a break when she came in. Gwen sat down on some boxes, her usual place, and she waited.

The song continued. Rodrick didn't look up, let alone end the song early. Gwen titled her head a little, playing with her hair that she threw up into a ponytail. She messed with the end that rested on her shoulder. Her eyes watched Rodrick, who was busy hitting the drums and banging his head up and down. The rather awful song went on for a few more minutes before it ended.

"That was a good run guys," Rodrick said as he stood up. "We'll take a break for a while."

His band members mumbled responses, and sulked out to the driveway to stand in the heat. Gwen looked over at Rodrick, who was looking at her. She blushed and looked away, still a bit captivated by his hazel eyes. With a sigh, Rodrick moved over to her and sat down next to her. Gwen heard his sigh and noticed how reluctantly he came over. She turned to look him right in his hazel eyes.

"What is going on with you?" She asked softly, but her voice was hard and demanding. "Did I do something?"

"Gwen..." Rodrick started, not wanting to talk about this. Again. "I just...no. You didn't do anything."

Her eyes widened and her heart sped up. Gwen was pretty sure where this was going to go. She looked away from him, her hands fidgeting in her lap. Rodrick ran a hand through his dark hair, damp with sweat, and was thankful that he got it cut shorter. He wiped his hand on his black shirt before taking Gwen's hands.

"It's me-"

"Oh, God, you're dumping me, aren't you?" Gwen shouted, jumping up from her seat and tearing her hands from his.

The Loded Diaper members glanced back at the couple, but then turned back. Gwen blinked a few times to keep the tears back as she bit her lower lip. Rodrick sighed again before standing up.

"I didn't say that," He murmured, and then took a long pause before continuing. "Gwen, I think I'm...afraid."

Gwen raised her eyebrows and felt the rage slowly leave her. A single tear escaped and ran down her cheek. Rodrick made a move to wipe it away, but he thought against it.

"Afraid of what?" whispered Gwen as the hurt started to come back.

"Afraid of...this-" He gestured to their entwined hands. "Of our relationship going t-too far. I don't wanna do anything to hurt you, but-"

"Where did this come from?" Gwen interrupted a little angrily.

"It was from a while ago. It was that night months ago at-"

"My house," She realized, practically breathing the answer. "When we had that kiss-? Why didn't you tell me that it scared you, Rodrick?"

But he only shook his head, dropping her hands. Gwen's heart stung as she braced herself for his next words. This was all spinning out of control to her. Everything was fine, but now...

"Gwen," He whispered, meeting her sad, watery gaze. "I...I think it's over."

She expected herself to scream, to slap him, to do something horrid. But Gwen didn't. She merely stood there, sliding her eyes closed and let a few more tears run down her face. When she opened them, Gwen saw that Rodrick was gone. He went outside with his band, but he stood a part from them, hands in his pockets and face to the sky.

So that was it.

Gwen silently walked out of the garage, her eyes glancing over at him. Rodrick stood still, his eyes closed and brow furrowed. With a sob, Gwen turned away and went back into her house. She dashed up the stairs to her room before her parents, or even worse, her sister could question her. She slammed the door closed with a cry, locked the door, and then threw herself on her bed.

She only really remembered crying and sobbing and shaking for the rest of the day. Her heart was screaming, her head was pounding. She wanted a real answer. If he was scared, why didn't he tell her? Why didn't he try to fix it..? Gwen found herself clutching the shell necklace that Rodrick gave her just about a week ago. She wanted to tear it from her neck, and maybe burn it because throwing it away wouldn't give her any satisfaction. But her grip loosened around the necklace. She couldn't. She just couldn't...

That night, her mother managed to find her daughter's room key, and so she came into Gwen's room. Gwen didn't scream at her mother to leave; she simply gestured to her desk chair. Mrs. Miles closed the door gently before sitting down on the bed next to her daughter. Gwen fell into her mother's lap, the sobs now fresh.

"Oh, sweetie," Her mother cooed. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know!" Gwen cried, sitting back up, staring at her mother with blood-shot eyes. "He s-said he was sc-scared of our relationship. He...we had a kiss months ago! And inow/i he chooses to talk about it! He ended it, Mom, ended it!"

Gwen fell back into her mother's arms, her tears taking away anymore words. Her mother pulled her closer, whispering words of comfort to her daughter. Mrs. Miles was thinking about how this was going to happen. High school relationships rarely lasted, but then she thought about how her and husband were high school sweethearts.

Mrs. Miles just held her daughter for the remainder of the night.

* * *

><p>The next day, Gwen didn't leave her room. She was grateful that her window faced the other neighbor and not his house.<p>

She was sitting in her windowsill, arms crossed and resting on her raised knees. She buried her face in her arms, biting her tongue to keep the tears back. Gwen was very tempted to throw away the necklace every second, but she still couldn't. This was her first, as well as his, real relationship, so of course it cut the deepest. Yet, the necklace, she couldn't let it go. It still rested on her chest coldly.

Gwen jumped as the sound of her phone vibrating on her desk. She slowly unfolded herself and picked up her phone. She practically screamed when she saw that it was Rodrick calling her. No text, a icall/i. She stared at the photo she put of him for the calls and texts she'd receive from him. It took her breath away: It was a picture of them both that she took when they were at the roller rink. His smile was big and wonderful, and his eyes...

Then, she accepted the call before it was gone.

"H-hello?" She murmured.

"Gwen." It was one word, but it made her shudder with longing and pain. "I...we need to talk. Will come outside please?"

She couldn't find any words, so she nodded but realized they were on the phone. She muttered an answer before abruptly hanging up. Gwen ran a brush through her hair, and then she wiped her face clean of her tears and runny makeup. She was about to leave when she realized that she was wearing the same tank top and shorts from yesterday. Gwen quickly changed into a summer dress, and then she left her sanctuary.

Gwen snuck downstairs, trying not to get noticed from her family, and she wasn't. She opened her front door and nearly closed it again. Rodrick was standing on her steps wearing his skinny jeans regardless of the heat and a white t-shirt. Gwen gulped as their eyes met. She opened her mouth to say something, but his eyes fell to the necklace that was laying over the dress. One side of his mouth twitched upward.

"You still have it," He said more as a statement than question. "I figured you would've thrown it away or something."

"I couldn't." Gwen replied, surprised at how strong her voice was as she fingered the shell. "It's too important to me, I guess."

"Yeah," Rodrick glanced behind her, and Gwen guessed that her family was watching with glares because he asked if they could go for a walk.

Gwen closed the door behind her, and she almost grabbed his hand, but thought against it. So, she was very surprised when Rodrick took her hand. She almost pulled away, but she thought against that, too.

"Listen," Rodrick started as they walked away from both of their houses. "I was thinking, and I think I made a mistake. You are probably the best thing that's ever happened to me, Gwen."

She blushed, a smile growing on her face. He pulled her to a stop to face her directly. Gwen stared into his hazel eyes as he looked back into her blue eyes.

"I was scared because I felt something new." He continued, and Gwen nearly fell over since he was explaining the situation to her. "It wasn't exactly love," (At that word, Gwen was surprised that she didn't fall over) "I mean, I dunno what that word even means, let alone how it feels. But," He paused to stroke her cheek with his thumb, just to touch her. "I care about you so much...Do you forgive me?" Rodrick asked of her.

And Gwen kissed him. And Rodrick kissed her back, moving his hands to her face to pull her closer. Gwen gladly obliged as she wrapped her arms around his chest. And for the first time, Rodrick Heffley cared about someone other than himself.

*I don't really like this one. It didn't come out the way I picture it. I might rewrite it, but for now, it's fine the way it is.*


	5. Taken for Granted

Taken for Granted

Every relationship has its ups and downs, and Gwen's relationship with Rodrick was no exception. A few weeks had passed since Rodrick ended things, but their relationship has never been stronger. They got much closer, spending whole afternoons together just walking around town hand-in-hand or sitting in the shade of a tree in the park. But while they got closer, a few conflicts got in the way.

Most were just little, stupid things that were fixed right away. Others were repetitive. But, all in all, everything was great. The word "love" still lingered in the back of Rodrick's head, but he only pushed it farther in. He felt very strong about Gwen, but neither wanted to say it in fear of chasing the other away. Plus, neither was sure about the meaning of love at their age. It seemed that all teenagers were just throwing the word around, saying it easily to a boyfriend or girlfriend that they just started seeing. Like it didn't _have_ any meaning. And that's why neither said it: They were waiting till it would have meaning.

Summer started to fly by, and it was soon half way over. It was the middle of July, a very hot day, when Gwen and Rodrick went to the community pool. Hand-in-hand, they stopped once they caught view of the pool. It seemed that everyone and their mother was there, trying to cool off. Rodrick glanced down at his girlfriend, who was clad in a two-piece blue swimsuit with a strapless white summer dress over it. She looked up at him, and Rodrick was wearing his black swimming trunks and no shirt (which she was _very_ okay with). With a slight shake of her head, they turned back around and headed back home to her own little out ground pool.

"Jeez, it's like 100 something with the heat index." Rodrick complained as he squinted against the blazing Sun. "Are you sure that you don't wanna just sit in your central air house and-?"

"You always suggest that," Gwen cut in with a smile. "But I need to get _out_ of that house. Wendy hasn't been called into work for days, and she's driving me insane. Besides, we could use the sunlight. I feel really white and pasty."

"I think you look beautiful." offered Rodrick, a grin on his face. "Even if you are white and pasty."

Gwen laughed and hopped up to give him a kiss on the cheek. She pulled him closer, resting her head on his shoulder as they continued their walk home. He kissed her head gently, murmuring something to her.

But Gwen didn't hear it. She was too busy falling over. Her head felt soft and light all of the sudden as she fell into a shouting Rodrick's arms. They were pretty close to home, but the neighbors rushed out at Rodrick's cry. One was already calling 911 when Gwen felt Rodrick's hand on her cheek.

"Gwen, Gwen, can you hear me?" He asked desperately.

"My-my mouth," She sputtered. "It feels, it feels dry..."

"She's dehydrated!" A voice cried.

And then, sirens. Loud sirens were heard before Gwen saw Rodrick's face fade into the oncoming darkness.

* * *

><p>Gwen's parents hounded Rodrick as the ambulance dashed away. It left before either parent could join their daughter on the ride to the hospital. Her mother screamed at him, blaming him for all of this. He yelled back at her, defending himself. With a very vulgar curse, Rodrick turned away and ran to his van. Luckily, it started (and his keys were in the ignition), and Rodrick sped away to the hospital.<p>

Once there, Rodrick demanded to see Gwen Miles. The nurse pointing him in the right direction, and he was at her bedside within minutes. He pulled up a chair to her bedside, holding her hand. She was asleep, but the nurse told him that Gwen would be fine. An IV was in her, giving Gwen the fluids that she desperately needed. Rodrick thanked the nurse before she left.

He took Gwen's hand as her parents' words came back to him. _It's your fault, you-!_ Rodrick closed his eyes and was a little surprised to feel them sting with tears. A few escaped and wet his face as he opened his eyes to look back at Gwen. Guilt filled him, making him feel heavy and stupid. He should've been more aware. He should've made sure she drank lots of water, especially today of all days. But the nurse said she'd be fine. Still...

_What if it was worse?_ He thought to himself. _What if something else serious happened to her? I'd be lost. I don't even know what I would do without her..._

Before his thoughts could haunt him any longer, Gwen made a soft sound. Rodrick focused on her, his eyes watching as her blue eyes opened slowly. He slightly tightened his grip on her hand, and Gwen turned her head to look at him. Surprising him, Gwen smiled.

"Well, hi there," greeted Gwen a little weakly.

"I'm sorry," Rodrick whispered, kissing her hand. "I should've-"

"No, don't you dare go blaming yourself, Rodrick." Gwen snapped. "This was my own fault. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I took a drink-"

"Gwen!"

The couple turned their heads to the doorway, where Mr. and Mrs. Miles were coming in. Her mother shot Rodrick a vile glare before coming to his daughter's side. She took Gwen's other hand, asking if she was alright and whatnot. Gwen answered her mother, saying she was fine and clarifying that it was her own fault. But Mrs. Miles was being as stubborn as her daughter.

"No, no, it was this boy's fault!" cried her mother, pointing accusingly at Rodrick. "You are not allowed to see this boy, Gwen."

"Mother!" Gwen shouted, and even her father stepped in, but as mentioned before, her mother was stubborn.

"I won't hear it!" Mrs. Miles turned to Rodrick. "Now get out."

Rodrick stayed still, holding Gwen's hand and glaring up at her mother. She raised her eyebrows, daring for the teenager to try something. With one look at Gwen, Rodrick knew he couldn't. Squeezing her hand, Rodrick stood up. He turned to leave, but quickly turned around and kissed Gwen full on the mouth. Mrs. Miles cried out, but Rodrick left before any more harm could be done.

He pulled out his phone and texted his girlfriend this as he walked out to his car.

_screw that, Gwen. im not letting your mom come between us. i lost you once, and i wont make the mistake of doing that again. hows a forbidden, secret relationship sound? :)_

*I dunno XD*


	6. Who Has To Know?

Who Has To Know?

On that same day the Gwen was admitted to the hospital, she was able to leave later that day. Her mother, though, wanted her stay over night, just in case. But by the time Mrs. Miles was trying to convince the doctors that her daughter should stay, Gwen was already walking to the car with her more understanding father. Once they got into the car, Gwen found her phone which she lost a few days ago stuffed between the back seats. She pulled it out, along with some fluff and crumbs, and she saw that she had a few messages, but the one she focused on was the most recent one from Rodrick.

Mrs. Miles came into the passenger seat of the car, muttering under breath about how awful the doctors are at their job as Gwen read through the message with a big smile on her face. With a glance at her mother in front of her, Gwen quickly typed back a message: _Hell yes_. After the message sent, Gwen deleted her inbox, as well as her outbox. For good measure, she even deleted her drafts. And just in time. Her phone made a soft beeping noise, meaning that the battery was just about dead, and her mother turned sharply at the sound.

"Ah, ah, I don't think so." Mrs. Miles snapped, reaching out her hand for Gwen's phone. "You are not allowed to talk to this boy, either. It's for the best dear,"

Gwen shrugged, hoping her face was indifferent and not all pissed off or something as she handed over her phone. Her father looked ready to argue with his wife, but he thought against it. Gwen crossed her arms and looked out the window as the downtown area faded into the residential area. Soon enough, they were back on their street. As they passed the Heffley house and pulled into their own driveway, Gwen searched the windows desperately for any sign of Rodrick, but she didn't see him. Disheartened, Gwen jumped out of their small, compact car and stomped into the house. Before either of her parents could stop her, Gwen was already up the steps and locked in her room.

* * *

><p>The sun was just setting as Gwen was coming back upstairs from dinner. She ate quickly, ignoring her mother's jabs at conversation. She didn't really care anymore to be indifferent. Gwen <em>was<em> pissed off at her mother, so why not let her know that? She locked her door again and changed out of her suit, but kept on the summer dress that she loved so much.

When she was fully clothed with a pair of shorts under her dress, Gwen sat down in her desk chair, jiggling the mouse back and forth to wake up her computer screen. The screen came to life, bright and welcoming. She still had her summer reading document up, but she had no incentive to do so. Just as she was about to exit out of the document, Gwen nearly screamed at the sound of something hitting her window.

She snapped her head to the right, to the window, and saw a small rock tap against the glass and fall back down, out of sight. She stared as another hit her window, this one slightly bigger, and it made a louder noise. A slow, understanding smile stretched across her face, and Gwen stood up, going to her window. Her smile grew even bigger when she saw Rodrick standing in the shadow of the neighboring house with a rather large rock in his arms. At the sight of her, Rodrick dropped the rock and waved. Gwen threw open the window and laid her arms on the windowsill, leaning her head outside.

"'Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?'" Gwen said, quoting one of her favorite books, thinking it appropriate.

"What?" Rodrick's voice carried up to her, confused and taking away all the romance and the opportune moment.

"Oh, never mind," answered Gwen, laughing. "We haven't covered _Romeo and Juliet_ yet. But, now that I think about it, we are kinda like them. Forbidden to be together, yet fighting to do so."

"Yeah, sure," Rodrick muttered, disinterested in books. "Are you gonna come down now?"

Gwen blinked and looked down under her. She was on the second floor. If Rodrick was expecting her to jump down from here, he was pretty crazy. Although, would she go through the front door and risk running into her parents, even though it's more logical and safe? Nah. Where's the fun in that?

"You going to catch me, Romeo?" She teased, tilting her head slightly.

"Do you trust me?" asked back Rodrick, stepping out of the shadow and daring a step closer to Gwen's house.

Gwen took a second to answer. She forgot how beautiful he was to her, even if she hasn't seen him since this morning. His hazel eyes gazed up at her through his dark hair, and Gwen wanted to jump into his arms and just run away from everything. But that was a rather stupid idea. The light breeze played with her hair, stray wisps coming across her face, and then Gwen answered.

"Of course I do, but Rodrick-"

"That doesn't sound like trust."

"You know I do!" Gwen argued, swinging one leg over the sill. "But what if I'm too...you know-"

"God, Gwen!" Rodrick cried, stepping closer. "If anything, you are _under_weight. Don't take offense to that," He added quickly, knowing that she could be offended by that, too. "You are perfect."

That was enough for her. Gwen pulled her other leg over, sitting on the windowsill with her fingers grasping the ledge for dear life. It was higher up than she thought. Rodrick smiled, throwing his arms outward. He jerked his head back, gesturing for her to jump. When she hesitated, Rodrick looked her right in the eyes.

"I got you, I promise." He whispered, but Gwen heard it.

She swallowed, slowly prying her fingers from the ledge. She started to close her eyes, but Rodrick shouted at her, ordering her to keep them open. Then, without a second thought, Gwen jumped.

The feeling was wonderful, at first, and then she remembered that she was falling. Her brown hair whipped out behind her as the ground came up faster than expected to meet her. She shoved her hands down to her dress so it wouldn't fly up and reveal much more to Rodrick than she ever wanted to show. Gwen yelped, closing her eyes despite Rodrick's order and covered her face with one of her hands when-

"I told you," Rodrick murmured in her ear before kissing it.

Gwen dropped her hands and found herself in Rodrick's arms, just as he promised. She looked at him, then to her window, and back to him again. Then, a giggle traveled all the way from her toes to out her mouth. She smiled at Rodrick, and he smiled back. Feeling all rebellious, Gwen grabbed Rodrick's face with her hands and pulled his mouth to her own. Rodrick rapturously returned the desirous kiss before he placed her back on the ground, taking her hand.

"And now, off we go!" He announced, running back towards his house and his van parked in the driveway.

Laughing and full of radical behavior, Gwen ran with him to his van. Rodrick went around the other side and opened her door for her. With a playful bow, Rodrick helped her in. Gwen giggled, giddy and drunk with his presence. He closed the passenger door and went around the van to get in on the driver's side. Once he was inside, Gwen scooted closer to him so their legs and shoulders were touching.

"Where to, Romeo?" She asked zestfully, twining her fingers through his free hand.

"Anywhere, my dear Juliet." He replied with a wink, playing along. "Anywhere at all!"

"Well, anywhere with you would be great." Gwen murmured, kissing Rodrick's cheek warmly.

And then, they set off with all of Rodrick's junk dancing around in the back. Gwen was surprised at her behavior. She was never one to disobey her parents or run off with a boy. Then again, Rodrick wasn't one to be so kind, gentle, and caring. It seemed that Gwen was rubbing off of Rodrick as much as he was rubbing off of her.

And she loved it.


	7. Breaking Point

Breaking Point

Of course, the couple had to return that same night. There was, after all, a curfew that Gwen still refused to break while Rodrick was used to doing so. They didn't drive very far; they only went to the park a few blocks away to watch the fireworks, the reason for Rodrick "stealing" Gwen away. The two pulled out a shifty blanket from the van, but when a spider came crawling off of it, Gwen insisted on just sitting on the grass. Rodrick, with a laugh, pulled her down next to him on the ground. He rested his arm around her shoulders with their heads touching.

Once the fireworks were over, Gwen heard the town clock chime the time. She yelped and jumped up as she realized what time it was: It was midnight. How it got that late, she didn't know, but she did know that she was supposed to be home about an hour ago. Gwen put her hands on her cheeks as she started to sputter about curfew, but Rodrick managed to calm her down with a few persuasive kisses. They climbed back in his van and drove home.

Rodrick pulled into his driveway, got out, and then helped Gwen step out of his vehicle. With a glance at both of their houses, Rodrick pushed Gwen towards her backyard. She started to argue, asking what he was doing, but they were already at her back door. He turned her around to face him, and he kissed her. It was a pretty short kiss, but full of intensity. He whispered, "Good night," before releasing her and disappearing into the night. Gwen, dazed, stared at where he was seconds ago. A smile appeared on her face as she turned to finger under the rug for the spare key. Once she found it, she opened the door and snuck upstairs without being heard or seen.

Mission accomplished.

* * *

><p>Rodrick and Gwen continued their relationship like this for the rest of the month. Gwen was able to now use the front door when sneaking out to see Rodrick with excuses like that she was going to her friend's house or school shopping with the girls. In a way, she was doing this. She would go to her friend's house, but later Rodrick would show up and the three of them, to make things less obvious, would go walk around and whatnot. And Gwen would also go the mall to shop for new school clothes with her friends, but then Rodrick would pass by, unplanned of course, and they would all hang out.<p>

Soon enough, Gwen couldn't take it anymore. She hated lying to her parents and doing this behind their backs. At first, it seemed that the adrenaline took over and made it fun. But now, it was killing her. She told Rodrick this, and he tried to calm her down, but Gwen had enough.

"I just can't, Rodrick." Gwen whispered a tear racing down her face.

They were at the park again, which kind of became "their place". They were sitting on a bench with their fingers twined together. School was starting in a few weeks already. Summer just flew by and was replaced by the brisk, August, autumn-brining wind.

"Gwen-"

"I have to tell them." She said over him. "I have to. Maybe my mom will be better about it. I mean, it's been weeks, almost a month, since the incident. And I'm pretty sure my dad knows what I've been doing. I mean, I never went out with my friends so much before, I'm sure that he-"

"If that's what you want," Rodrick said, cutting her off. "School starts soon, and we can see each other everyday. Your mother can't stop that."

Both knew that Gwen's mother might find a way, like sending Gwen to a boarding school or something. But neither spoke up. Rodrick brushed a few tears away from her face before kissing her cheek. Gwen closed her eyes and sighed. Then, her lips found his and their shared a brief kiss. When she opened her eyes, Gwen saw that Rodrick was giving her a sad smile.

"I'm sorry," She murmured. "I'll talk with Mom tonight about you. And, if it goes good, then I'll go to your house. If it doesn't go very good, I'll see you at school."

* * *

><p>They walked back home, and Rodrick was not afraid to give Gwen one more kiss in front of her house. She shuddered and dashed inside. She yelled for her mother, who came running down the stairs.<p>

"What is it, hon?" Mrs. Miles asked with a bundle of laundry tucked under her arm.

"I've been seeing Rodrick for the past month now and I can't keep it a secret anymore. I'm sorry that I'm a bad daughter, and that I went against your orders, but I really really like him, and-"

"Sweetie, really?"

Gwen blinked and looked up at her mother. She had a smirk on her face as she came down the rest of the steps.

"Your father and I knew that already-"

"And you didn't stop it?" Gwen cried, frustrated and confused.

"Goodness, Gwen, I know that I can't stop you from seeing him, even though I really wish you would be with someone else. But I can tell that this is something special. And you're right. Rodrick Heffley is much better than he was a year ago."

Then, her mother went into the living room, leaving her daughter standing in the doorway, flabbergasted and gaping. Gwen stood there for a little longer before running into the living room. Her mother was now folding the laundry into baskets.

"And you're okay that I'm dating him?" Gwen said slowly.

"Of course,"

That's all she needed. Gwen jumped up, hugged her mother and said "thank you" multiple times before running back outside and pounding on the Heffleys' door. Greg opened the door.

"Oh, you. He's downstairs in his room-"

Gwen pushed past Greg, bolting down the stairs and flinging herself into Rodrick's room. She screamed with glee as he got out of his bed and threw his arms around her. He kissed her head bunches before moving down to her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, and then her lips. She smiled under his kiss, and they were more than happy.

They spend the rest of their summer days together everyday, and then school came around. At registration, they went together, of course, Gwen was ecstatic to see that she and Rodrick shared three classes as well as lunch. This year, their junior year, was going to be very...awesome.


	8. A Lesson

A Lesson

School was just around the corner now, and Gwen was getting more and more pushy about the drum lesson Rodrick promised her weeks ago. She tells him that she won't have any time for a lesson once school starts because of her extra curricular activities. When Rodrick hesitates and tries to change the subject, Gwen points out with annoyance how he gave his brother and his friend a lesson.

"But I didn't." Rodrick would shoot back. "Not really. My mom made me do that, and Greg and his stupid friend didn't even touch my drums. No one touches them except me."

"Is that why?" Gwen accused one day when Rodrick explained further of the "lesson" he gave his brother. "You don't want me to hurt your 'baby'? Hm? Is that it?"

"You know you're my baby, Gwen," Rodrick muttered, stroking her hair gently and distractingly. Gwen held back a squeal at his comment, just taking in his words and touch for the moment. "I just really care about my drums, too. They're important to me."

"Yeah, yeah…" Gwen trailed off, pushing his hands away with a roll of her eyes and focusing on the matter at hand. "But not even a little lesson? I can't even…?"

They were in his garage that afternoon, and Gwen's fingers made a snatch at Rodrick's hand that held the drum sticks. But he was faster. With a disapproving sound, Rodrick raised his hand over his head, far from Gwen's reach. She narrowed her blue eyes at his hazel ones, and she could've glared at those eyes forever and ever. Crossing her arms, Gwen glanced around her boyfriend (the word kind of lost the sparkle by now, but still made her heart flutter a tiny bit) to his precious drums. She couldn't really see why he loved them so much. They were pretty beat up, and on the large, round bass drum was messily written Rodrick's band, Loded Diaper. They were rimmed with a sparkly red cover that looked rather cheesy.

She raised one side of her lips in a sneer rather than a smirk before looking back at him. He was staring back down at her so intently that Gwen wondered if he was trying to read her face. His blank stare startled her, and Gwen glimpsed away to hide her blush. Rodrick's hand was still raised over his head, but he slowly brought his hand back down. Seeing that he was starting to give in, Gwen clasped her hands together, bringing them under her chin. She widened her eyes and stuck out her bottom lip.

"Oh pwease, Rodrick?" cooed Gwen, batting her eyelashes impetuously.

With a groan, Rodrick handed the drum sticks over to her. Gwen giggled, plucking them from his reluctant hand. He gestured behind to him, to his drums, and Gwen patted his cheek as she passed him. Once she got behind the drums and sat on the little chair, at first, she wondered how Rodrick fit on this chair. It was even small to her, and Rodrick was obviously much bigger than she. She then looked down apprehensively at the pedals, then at the cymbals, and then back at the drum sticks in her hands. Rodrick was leaning against the wall next to the drums, looking down at her with a smug expression stretched across his face, but his eyes were nervous at the thought of someone else playing his drums. She tapped one of the snare drums shyly and jumped slightly at the sound that responded. Gwen shot a glare up at Rodrick as he released a soft laugh. She set her jaw and placed the sticks in her lap before sliding a hair tie off her wrist and pulling her brown hair back into a messy ponytail. Her eyes locked on Rodrick, she grabbed the sticks again, and then looked back down at the drums, a bit dumbstruck. A few seconds passed, when Rodrick sighed.

"You want a little help?" He asked, half teasingly.

"I…um, yes." Gwen admitted, peeping up at him.

Rodrick, a smile now on his lips, stepped forward and knelt next to her behind the drums. He offered a hand, and Gwen gave him one of the sticks. He tapped the same drum she touched, but with more force. The sound was much louder, and it sounded better, too.

"See? You gotta be more aggressive. They're just drums." Rodrick explained. "They don't have any feelings."

"But it's your baby, remember?"

Rodrick kissed her cheek in response before moving behind her and taking her hands in his. The sticks were firmly grasped in Gwen's hands as they moved together, slowly making a beat. For the next hour or so, Rodrick taught Gwen the basics. Soon enough, he could step back, and Gwen could play a little on her own.

"Not bad, not bad at all." Rodrick observed. "You could definitely be our backup drummer."

"That good, huh?" Gwen said happily, standing up and handing the sticks back to him.

"Well, from what I've heard, we _aren't_ that good." Rodrick professed, taking the sticks as well as her hands in his own. "But whatever. I think we rock."

"And that's all that matters." murmured Gwen.


	9. Discovery

Discovery

A few days before school started, there was the worst heat wave of the summer, and probably the hottest one in years. Since Gwen didn't really like her sister, who was off of work, she decided to house herself from in the heat at the Heffleys rather than be stuck in her own house with her older sister. She was fanning herself with her hands on Rodrick's bed in the basement. It was unnaturally warm down there. It was like the air conditioning didn't go down there…

"Rodrick?" Gwen asked, turning her head to look at her boyfriend (sparkle and flutter gone and replaced with a slight indifference at the word) who was sitting on the chair in front of the bed and twirling a drum stick in his hand. He raised his hazel eyes from the spinning stick to glance up at her.

"Yeah?"

"Does the air conditioning come into this hell hole?"

"Hah," Rodrick scoffed, rolling his eyes. "No, but I've been trying to get my own and stick it in that window."

He gestured wordlessly with his free hand at the small, narrow window in the wall behind him. Sighing, and coping the rolling of the eyes, Gwen rolled onto her back, her arms hanging off the bed and fingers brushing the hem of Rodrick's sheet. And she felt something else. It felt like paper, like paper that could be used as a fan. Gwen, curious, worried, and dying of heat, rolled back over and off the bed onto her knees in a rather fluid motion. She found it to be a magazine, and Rodrick was suddenly next to her and yanking the magazine away.

"It's just a music magazine, Gwen-"

"Wait-What, the hell is that? That don't look like music." Gwen shouted, ripping the magazine back and pointing accusingly at the woman model sprawled across a sports car wearing pretty much nothing.

Rodrick immediately started sputtering excuses and explanations.

"Rodrick, I don't wanna hear it." Gwen voiced over him. "Weren't you already caught with one when Manny brought it to school?"

"I-uh, um, well. Yeah, but I haven't even looked at that one yet."

"Oh?" disagreed Gwen, flipping through the scandalous pictures. "Then why is this one _commented_ on-?"

"_That _wasn't me." Rodrick snapped, pulling the magazine away and stuffing it in his garbage can.

He innocently raised his hands.

"There, it's gone. Happy?"

"Will you get another degrading piece of filth?" Gwen demanded as she flopped back on his bed.

"Well…"

She threw one of his pillows at his head before he could finish that statement.


	10. Back to the Beginning

**Diary of a Wimpy Kid FanFiction**

Back to the Beginning

As school came crawling closer and closer, Gwen tried desperately to stay in the summer. She was sitting her room at her desk, tapping her pencil with random spurts of her wrist on the hard surface. Her laptop monitor was dark, but she wasn't focusing on the black screen. Gwen was staring, and almost glaring, down at her plain, spiraled notebook that was open to the next blank page, which was quite near the end. It wasn't her diary, not necessarily, anyways. She considered it a journal, rather, that she wrote in only when she felt it was necessary. These past few months, she thought is necessary quite a lot.

She glanced at her phone, which was sitting next to her notebook. It, too, to her dismay, was dark. Rodrick must've been either doing his summer reading (Gwen scoffed at that idea) or practicing with his band. Still tapping her pencil on the desk, Gwen reached over with her free hand and turned down her pretty loud iTunes, which was playing Cowboy Cassanova by Carrie Underwood at the moment. As soon as she lowered the volume, Gwen was answered with the echo of screams, erratic drum playing, and messed up chords. That answered her question. With a cringe, she quickly blasted her music again and let Carrie Underwood warn her about the "cool drink of water" that was "candy-coated misery."

Gwen looked back down at her blank page, but she suddenly didn't want to write about this day. She flipped through the pages, going all the way back to the beginning of it all. But, she went too far and found a page dated about a year ago that droned on and on about how hot Rodrick was, and Gwen did not want to embarrass herself by rereading that hormonal scrawl of her's.

She finally made it to the first day he made a move back in the winter. Her blue eyes scrolled over the breathless scribble of words that retold that fateful moment when Rodrick asked her out. The memory still gave her the shivers of glee. Gwen turned the page slowly, keeping her eyes on the words Rodrick asked. With a smile, Gwen saw that the next page was her first date with Rodrick. It was a few days after the initial question at the movies. It was some horror/thriller film that he insisted on. At first, Gwen thought it was an ideal moment to get some "I'll-protect-you" type stuff from Rodrick, but neither turned out to be really bothered by the movie. Gwen laughed as she reread the end of that entry. It was her complaining about how there wasn't a "good-night kiss". He just drove them home ("there wasn't even any hand holding, for goodness sake!" Gwen read.) and said good night before practically sprinting into his house.

Gwen quickly turned to the next page before she could read the rare profanities she scribbled down angrily about how the date didn't end in her favor. This entry was about the second date that ended better. It was at the park, nothing too fancy, but Gwen was more than happy with this date. He reached for her hand and took it gently. Gwen quickly squeezed her hand around his, making sure he wouldn't hesitate and pull away. Again, Gwen found herself laughing at her own words, explaining the look on Rodrick's face when Gwen unconsciously dug her nails into him. She retracted her claws and smiled shyly up at him. When they returned home, he kissed her cheek.

With a flick of her wrist, Gwen turned to the next page. This was probably the best entry to date. It was their third date, the one that changed everything. It was at the roller rink, and Gwen noticed that she dotted her "i's" with hearts and had swirls and doodles scrawled all over the page. It was their first kiss. Just as Gwen was going to turn the page, her phone went off.

With a cry, Gwen nearly flung herself from her chair as the vibration from her phone rattled the whole desk. She slammed her notebook closed, unthinkingly throwing the pencil across her room. It was a text from none other than Rodrick, Gwen found out as she unlocked her new phone. It was much smaller and thinner than her old phone, and it looked more like Rodrick's to boot. Of course, her mother voiced her disagreeing opinion, but Gwen had already bought it.

Rodrick wanted to know if Gwen would like to go out for dinner. _Well, that's a mighty big step up._ Gwen thought as she happily accepted. Once the message was sent, she dug through her closet and pulled out a nice, flower-printed skirt along with a navy blue halter top that matched one of the flowers perfectly. She didn't do anything fancy with her brown, wavy hair, but she added some eye liner to make her blue eyes pop. She ran down the stairs, grabbing a bag on her door knob before doing so, and yelled to her parents that she was going out. She was out the door before either could say a word.

Gwen smiled at the sight of Rodrick leaning against his father's car. He was wearing some nice jeans with a white long-sleeved shirt despite the humidity. His hazel eyes looked her up and down as she approached, and Rodrick's smile matched hers. Gwen couldn't help but know that she was going to be writing about this later.


	11. Back Again

**Diary of a Wimpy Kid Fanfiction**  
><span>Back Again<span>  
>"I'm not making your little brother sit-well there aren't even seats back there, but I'm not-!"<br>"Get in back, Greg."  
>"Rodrick!" Gwen scolded, her breath fogging up in the mid-November air.<br>School has been going on for almost a whole semester already, and Gwen couldn't believe (still) that she managed to drag Rodrick, her boyfriend of almost a year (okay, that still gave her the chills) to homecoming. He went more willingly than she expected. He might've even enjoyed himself...  
>Anyway, back to November; Gwen raised her eyebrows and met Rodrick's hazel-honey gaze for a while before melting. It didn't take much for him to make her melt. And Rodrick Heffley seemed to take advantage of this anytime he could. Like now.<br>"Get in back, Greg." Rodrick repeated, although his smirking eyes were on Gwen.  
>Greg sighed, sick of their bantering, and pulled open the van door taht had crudely written on the side "Loded Diaper", the name of Rodrick's band. Gwen, frowning, watched as young Greg climbed into the storage bin that was the back of the van. Drums, garbage, and even an amplifire were awaiting Greg. Before Gwen could say anything, the door was slammed shut, and she was pinned between the van and Rodrick.<br>She squealed in surprise as his hands smacked onto the white door on either side of her face. He smiled slyly, leaning in slowly to give her a kiss. At first, she gladly accepted it, looping her arms around his waist. Then, she remember that they were making out right in front of both of their houses. And Gwen's father's car was still parked in the driveway. Her parents finally learned to accept Rodrick, but they were still somewhat wary of them and their, lately, major PDA. And so, she quickly pushed him away, gently and regretfully, and ducked under his arms.  
>"Come on, we'll be late at this rate." She told him, pulling the passenger door open.<br>"You act like I care." Rodrick retorted, a faux-shocked look on his face as he went around to the driver's side.  
>"You do." Gwen smiled, buckling her seat belt.<br>With a careless air, Rodrick buckled himself in and started the van. He glanced back, a dangerous look plastered on his face. Just as the shaggy-dark-haired seventeen year old was about to shift into drive and, most likely, drive even more recklessly than usual, Gwen cleared her throat.  
>A warning.<br>Rodrick froze, his fingers wriggling impatiently on the gear shift and his eyes begging like a puppy dog's. Before his gaze could ensnare her, Gwen shook her head and closed her sky-blue eyes. Her shoulder length brown hair, which was twisted into a side braid, brushed her shoulder as she shook her head.  
>"Do I have to drive?" She threatened.<br>"It's my van."  
>"And you were just about to risk two lives, which happen to be lives that you should probably really care about."<br>"I, uh, I don't wanna be late, guys-" Greg piped up from the back.  
>"Problem solved, then." Rodrick exclaimed, smiling as he violently jerked the van away from the curb.<br>Greg and the items in back immediately began to shift and swerve around, hitting and colliding with both each otehr and the van walls.  
>"Rodrick!"<br>"He's fine, Gwenny."  
>Greg's shouts of surprise and whimpers begged to differ. As Rodrick calmly put his right around over Gwen's head rest with a satified smirk on his face, Gwen was clutched the dashboard for dear life, her eyes shooting daggers at her sometimes (okay, pretty much always) stupid boyfriend. Rodrick jerked the van to an abrupt halt in front of Greg's junior high. All the items in back seemed to freeze for a second before gravity took back over, crashing everything back to the floor. Gwen looked back to see Greg toppled over one of the snare drums with a cymbal on his chest.<br>"Oh dear, you alright, Greg?" Gwen asked, her brows knit together with worry.  
>She unbuckled and stepped out, pulling open the van door. She climbed into the back and helped Greg gather his things that flew from his backpack. Rodrick laughed, but it was silenced when his girlfriend glared up at him. Once Greg had his things all back in his bag, and his clothes and hair fixed by Gwen, they both got back out. Gwen patted his head and gave him a kiss in the same spot. The boy looked up at her, red in the face.<br>"Have a nice day!"  
>When Gwen got back in the car, Rodrick was staring at her with a strange expression. It made her blush, the way he was staring so intently at her. She brushed a fly strand of hair back into place, then glanced away.<br>"Well? Do you want us to be late? Let's go." She urged, pointing at the radio clock, which read "7:48".  
>"You're beautiful."<br>The way he said those two words made Gwen look at him right away. And then she was lost completely in his eyes. Gwen felt the blush travel from her toes all the way to neck, and then her face. She felt ridiculous, but Rodrick never said those words like that. And his expression was serious, Gwen could tell. It rarely was, but she knew it when she saw it. And there it was.  
>"I-" She was at a lost for words, so she looked back down at her lap, playing with her fingers with the cut-off gloves.<br>Rodrick reached across and took one of her hands in his own. And then slowly, ever so slowly, brought it to his winter-chapped lips. Gwen's heart sped up and froze at the same time, leaving her breathless. Then, as quick as it happened, Rodrick dropped her hand from his lips, but kept in hold as he pulled away.  
>In a serene silence, with fingers entwined, the couple drove to school.<br>***


	12. Time Flies

Time Flies

"You're lucky that I had free space for this study hall, but I hate it! I could be taking a class that will _help_ me."

"But then we wouldn't share _any_ classes."

"Maybe if you weren't such a derp…"

"_Shhh!_" The teacher hissed sharply, placing a bony finger one her pursed lips.

Gwen Miles shot her boyfriend a glare, but squeezed his hand under the table they were sharing. Rodrick Heffley smirked, his free hand curling into a fist, resting under his chin.

The couple has been going out for over a year now, something that Gwen still finds hard to believe. Second semester had started less than a month ago, and the stressful time of picking senior classes (well, for Gwen) had come and gone already. Graduation seemed to be right around the corner, bringing about issues for Gwen and Rodrick, yet Gwen kept her post-high school relationship problems to herself.

"Your go," urged Rodrick, gently nudging her with his arm.

Gwen blinked, breaking out of her trance to scratch an 'x' onto the notebook open between them.

"It stopped snowing." She murmured.

"And you completely missed the board." Rodrick commented, referring to her 'x' that she drew at least five lines below their board.

"Oh, um, sorry. My mind, it's just-"

"Flustered?" offered Rodrick, smiling at his use of vocabulary.

Gwen met his hazel eyes, and she was very surprised to find that she didn't lose herself in them. Granted, she still loved his liquid gold gaze, but it no longer ensnared her.

On the other hand, Rodrick found himself breathless upon looking at her sky blue eyes. It was like he was staring into the clearest summer sky, and he wanted to stare forever.

"Rodrick-!" Gwen gasped, leaning away from his oncoming kiss. "Not here, you dummy. We'll get detention."

"I don't care…"

"Liar." whispered Gwen, stealing a glance at the teacher before giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Stop, you'll get us detention." He teased.


	13. Reveals

Reveals

Started 4/25/12 (Jeez…)

The not-quite-but-almost-spring air was brisk and light, thankfully not humid and arid as it had been the last few weeks. It was perfect weather for just being outside, doing absolutely nothing. Doing nothing was foreign to Gwen Miles, but she was learning to enjoy it thoroughly, especially with Rodrick Heffley at her side and with her life beginning to tilt off balance lately.

Gwen tried to push the thoughts of her moronic sister, Wendy, from her mind as Rodrick defeated her in yet another thumb war (10-2, Rodrick winning, but it's not like he was keeping track or anything). Rodrick smiled, keeping their hands entwined while stroking her knuckles gently with his victorious thumb. But the more she thought about chasing the thoughts away, the more she _thought_ about it.

"Gotcha again," Rodrick murmured with a voice much softer than his last outburst as he finally took in her broken, distracted expression.

Her sky blue eyes were glazed over, indeed. Rodrick leaned forward, pressing his lips tenderly to the corner of her mouth. Gwen blinked, his seemingly-perpetually shaggy, dark brown hair brushing her cheeks as he pulled away. She shook her head, trying in vain to choke down the oncoming tears that escaped from her eyes anyway.

"Gwen?" her boyfriend of over a year inquired with worry, sweeping the tears from her cheeks. "Are you that upset about losing? I'm sorry, I'll let you try again-"

"Wendy." Gwen sputtered, pulling her hands away to cover her face. "I'm, I'm fine. It's just-"

"We don't have to talk about it, Gwen." Rodrick assured, although he wished he knew a little bit more about the situation with her sister.

"But it's all I can think about, Rodrick." She wailed, dropping her hands into her lap as the tears raced down her face. "I knew she was stupid, but not _this_ stupid…"

Rodrick reached out to her, pulling her onto his lap as Gwen completely lost it. She wrapped her spindly arms around his neck, pressing her face into his neck. Rodrick roved his knuckles on the small of Gwen's back, whispering words of soothing to his girlfriend. Gwen paused in her water works, slightly surprised at this once-bad-boy's calming words. It still blew her mind at how drastic Rodrick had changed over the past year. Before, he never would've held her like this, or anyone else, for that matter. He wouldn't coo words of comfort in anyone's ear in their time of despair.

But she didn't question it much as the soft tone of his voice made her shiver. Rodrick wavered, his voice trailing off at the feeling of Gwen's lips against his damp neck. She whispered something against his throat, but Rodrick didn't catch what she said as his heart sped up at an incredible rate. Before Gwen lost herself in Rodrick's rather impressive neck and jaw, she pulled away slightly to gaze into his honey-hazel eyes.

"I…" Gwen snapped her mouth shut, swallowing her words and biting her tongue so hard that she almost drew blood.

She almost said it. She almost said _that_ word. Gwen's lungs collapsed, leaving her gasping for air as she thought, "_And I would've meant it._" Rodrick titled his head, gesturing for her to speak her mind, but Gwen only shook her head. She brought her forehead gently to his, kissing his nose and meeting his eyes through the disheveled forest of dark hair. Finding her voice again, Gwen opened her mouth.

"She ran away, Rodrick." Gwen started with a tear-choked voice, running her fingers through the hairs near the nape of his neck. "She ran off with that stupid boyfriend of hers." Rodrick nodded slightly; He knew that much, yes. "But she didn't walk away empty handed, no. She took all of my money, most of my mother's jewelry, and my father's collection of sterling spoons. And don't go giggling about spoon collecting because my father takes it very seriously.

"But, how could she do that? She hurt us bad, Rodrick." Her throat suddenly constricted closed, losing the strong tone of voice she was gathering with each word. But now, she could barely muster a whisper. "Wendy hurt us real bad…"

With a somewhat pitiful frown and a surprised expression all rolled into one, Rodrick brushed a strand of Gwen's chocolate brown hair behind her ear.

"Gwen…"

"I know." She took over, putting one hand in her lap while keeping the other tangled in his hair. "What could you possibly say?" Before Rodrick could even open his mouth, Gwen continued on a bit distractedly. "I hate not knowing where she is. That's what I hate the most. Is she safe? Is she hurt? Is she…?"

"Don't think like that." Her boyfriend assured, moving his hands from her back to her hand. "She'll show up, I prom-"

"Don't promise me that, please." said Gwen so soft that Rodrick barely caught it. "You can't know something like that for sure."

Rodrick gently took her face between his thumb and forefinger, making sure that her damp eyes met his hard ones.

"You're right. I don't know for sure, Gwen." He replied firmly. "But I'm at least 95 percent sure that Wendy will be found. I don't know when, but she will be. One way or another."

"Ooh, percents?" Gwen gave a dry laugh that scratched irritably at her throat. "Someone has been studying, hm?"

"Really? That's what you're taking out of my wistful words?" Rodrick gave a small frown, but Gwen knew he was kidding around.

She rolled her eyes, kissing his cheek softly.

"Thank you," She whispered, her lips lingering on his cheek. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Rodrick's fingers brushed against her face, turning her lips towards his.

"Then now would be a good time to tell you the same thing, right?" Rodrick said softly.

Gwen smiled, her heart doing a few jovial flips in her chest. She put her hands on his face, leading his lips in for a kiss. Rodrick looped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer and locking her in place. And then, when they pulled away, the words tumbled out before he could stop them.

"I love you," Rodrick said.


	14. Just Got Serious

**Diary of a Wimpy Kid Fanfiction**

Just Got Serious

_started 7/25/12_

Gwen didn't know what to say to him. She wasn't sure if she was ready to say it back, yet she nearly did a few seconds before him. Those five seconds where she said nothing, she could very clearly see the hurt reflected in his hazel-honey eyes. What could she have done?

She probably could've said it back, like her heart wanted her to, yet part of her refused to let the words fly from her trembling lips. She could've told him, very gently, that she wasn't ready to say it yet (even if she _was_). He would've understood, she knew that.

But, no. Gwen did neither of those things.

Instead, she stifled a gasp and tumbled out of his arms. She tossed a hasty excuse over her shoulder before escaping into her house. Right before slamming the door, Gwen managed a look behind her to see a stunned Rodrick still sitting on the grass. Her chest swelled, unshed tears burning in the back of her throat as she took in his befuddled expression.

At the last second, Rodrick made to stand up, his hand outreached to her in a silent plea before the door closed.

Gwen pressed her back against the door, her sky blue eyes squeezed shut in attempt to keep the confused tears at bay. She was very thankful for the fact that her parents were out of town for the weekend. The last thing she needed was to have them on her case.

Still tensed against the door with one hand twisted about the handle, ready to reopen the door and rush into Rodrick's arms with a cry of her love, Gwen finally snapped. She stumbled away from the door, from Rodrick, and released a sharp cry that was quickly followed with the running of tears. Her feet were heavy and her stride wavered as she clomped her way up the stairs with tight fingers on the railing.

Her mind was racing when she finally managed to stagger into her bedroom. She braced herself in the doorway, her knuckles white as she dug her nails into the wood. The tears were falling at a steady rate, following the gentle curve of her cheeks like a caress. Hiccupping, Gwen pushed herself from the doorway and collapsed onto her bed.

With a cry, she clutched at her sheets and tried desperately to figure out why she couldn't tell Rodrick that she loved him back.

* * *

><p>Rodrick was still half-standing in Gwen's yard, his hand outstretched towards the closed door. His eyes burned, but he refused to let himself cry. <em>Fuck<em>, he thought darkly as he curled his arm back to his side with taut fingers. He had been debating whether he told her that he loved her or not for weeks now, and that moment just felt right.

Apparently, it wasn't.

The teenager cursed aloud, slamming his fist into the grass before storming away into his house next door. He smashed the front door shut, sending the whole house shivering with the impact. Rodrick heard his mother give a surprised yelp, but he was already down the stairs and in his room before she could confront him.

He slammed his door just as hard, and he didn't bother locking it; his family should know better than to see him now.

Other than his mother, of course.

"Rodrick?" There was a soft knock at his door, his mother's voice just as quiet. "Is everything alright?"

Rodrick took a deep breath before answering, knowing that his mother doesn't deserve to get chewed out. This wasn't her fault.

"Yeah, yeah." He lied, sitting down to his drums and twirling the sticks aimlessly between his fingers. "I'm fine, Mom."

"You don't sound fine, sweetie." She countered, the door now pushed open a crack. "What is it-?"

Rodrick gave the sticks a final twirl before bringing them down onto his drums. His mother's voice was overpowered easily by the instrument, and he tuned everything out, including his erratically beating heart and pounding head. His hazel eyes were squeezed shut in what he convinced himself was concentration on the music and not concentration on holding back his angry, hot tears.

The teenager bashed harder on his drums, the music quickly becoming as erratic as his heartbeat. He could just make out his mother's worried cry over the noise, but Rodrick refused to stop. He couldn't face her now, not like this. So, he kept pounding and pounding and pounding, screaming inwardly at himself to stop thinking about Gwen and her beautiful sky blue eyes that were always sparkling, and her smile that sent his mind spinning, and-

"_Rodrick!_"

His mother's sharp cry finally pulled him out of his trance, and that was when Rodrick opened his eyes to see that one of his drum sticks was stabbed through the rough cover of a drum. He blinked in surprise, a few tears finally trickling freely down his face.

"Rodrick…" His mother's voice was much softer now, a hint of pity laced in that single word.

He scowled at his ruined drums, his rage boiling over. With a scream, Rodrick yanked the stick free, which tore the drum even more, and chucked both sticks across his room. They slammed into the opposite wall, just beside his startled mother, and both snapped in two at the impact. His mother cried out, flinching away from the wood splinters that flew into the air.

A tense second passed, Rodrick hovering above his round drummer's seat and breathing heavily while his mother stared in shock at the broken sticks. Mrs. Heffley turned her head to look at her son, her eyes wide behind her round glasses.

"Rodrick-!" She gasped.

The boy looked between the broken sticks and his mother with a panicked look in his hazel eyes. Sue Heffley was taken aback, her hands flying to her chest in shock. Never, ever had her son behaved like this. She didn't know what to do, and it appeared that Rodrick didn't either.

They both sat there in the silence, Rodrick staring wordlessly at the broken sticks while on the verge of hyperventilating with his mother staring at him in shock. Eventually, after a couple anxious minutes, his mother finally managed to find her voice again.

"Rodrick." She repeated gently, making a move toward him with her hand.

"I told her I loved her."

His words froze Mrs. Heffley to the ground, leaving her hand hovering just short of touching her son's head. That look of shock was now frozen on her face. She looked at her son like he had sprouted arms out of his head. Which, he may as well have with what he just told her. Her hand slowly dropped back to her side, but before it rested back on her thigh, Rodrick had his arms around her.

"Oh-!" His mother gasped, startled as her son burrowed himself deeper into her chest.

And that's when he finally began to cry.

* * *

><p>Gwen didn't realize she had fallen asleep until the sound of her parents' loud arrival, given away by the slamming of car doors, woke her up. She jerked up from her bed, hearing the front door open and the sound of her parents' arguing voices drifting up the stairs. <em>Arguing?<em> _And they're home a day early. _Gwen thought to herself. It had been months since her parents' yelled at each other. They seemed to be doing so well, and this trip was supposed to help their relationship, but now-

_Crash_.

The teenager winced, closing her eyes and flopping back down on her bed to cover her head with a pillow. It helped muffle her parents' shouts somewhat. She whimpered, their screams crashing into each other like two shrill notes that caused a terrible disharmony. This was the last thing she needed.

Gwen sat up slowly, groggy with tears and heartache. She rubbed at her face, her skin nearly raw and her eyes burning. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so upset. Her hands fell from her face, and Gwen stared at them in her lap. Her focus all went into looking at her hands and thinking of nothing else, including the incessant thoughts of Rodrick and the cacophony of her parents' voices.

They rested loosely upon each other, the tips of her fingers all curled in slightly. The lines of her hands had never been so entrancing to her before, the way they ran across her hands in random patterns yet they mirrored each other when both palms were compared. There was that thin, haphazardly cut scar that ran down her left thumb from when he caught it on nail years ago. She traced it with her finger now, following the pale line of skin down all the way to her wrist.

As Gwen went to inspect her right hand more deeply, another loud _bang_ interrupted her thoughts.

"Damn it, Marilyn!" Her father's voice was sharp, cutting through her door all too easily; it made her wince.

"Don't even _start_ with me, Joseph." If her father's voice was sharp, her mother's was the edge of a sword.

Gwen's parents argued, sure. Whose didn't? But, after her older sister Wendy had vanished, things had started to worsen in the Miles' household. The police were searching for Wendy, as well as her crummy boyfriend whose name Gwen could not even remember. Needless to say, tensions were way past high now.

Without a second thought, Gwen shoved open her window facing the neighbors, not the Heffleys', house. As she took in the height, her parents' shouts grew louder behind her. Her blue eyes tightened. She had made the jump before. Granted, Rodrick was waiting there for her-

"Gwen?"

Just as he was now.

His voice, soft and caring compared to her parents' barking, startled her all the same. And before Gwen knew it, she was tumbling out her window. There wasn't enough time for her to scream, so she just let gravity shove her down towards the earth silently.

But just like before, he was there to catch her.

"_Oof!_"

But unlike before, Rodrick was not ready for her. That much was plain to see when Gwen literally fell on top of him, crushing him under her as she met the ground. Gwen gasped, quickly scuttling off of a groaning Rodrick. He lay on his back, his eyes closed tight in pain.

"Rodrick! Oh, oh goodness," Gwen babbled, her hands fluttering about as she tried to think of a way to help him. "Are you okay? I'm so so sorry."

"Fine," Rodrick managed to mumble, his eyes still closed as he raised one leg up slowly, as if testing the limb.

"Rodrick," Gwen tried again, her heart hammering in her ears. "What are you doing-?"

Her words were overrun by another crash from inside her house, followed by even more screams and curses. She winced as if her parents' voices were hitting her physically. When she looked back over at Rodrick as the noise faded, she was startled to see him sitting up and staring right at her. Her heart jumped into her throat.

"I heard them yelling, breaking things." Rodrick murmured, tossing his head towards her house in gesture. "I wanted to make sure you were…you were okay."

Gwen found herself taking some heavy breaths, just watching his hazel eyes take her in. She was shocked to see a halo of red around the hazel. _Rodrick, crying?_ It struck her to the core when she figured out he cried because of her. She swallowed, reaching forward to take his hand. Rodrick started at her touch, but didn't pull away when she linked her fingers between his.

"I'm okay." She promised. "Much better now."

"Gwen," Rodrick began, but she put a finger on his lips.

"I love you, too." Gwen whispered.

Rodrick's lips turned up under her touch, and before he knew it, Gwen's soft lips replaced her finger. Her hands dug themselves into his mane of dark hair, wordlessly begging for him to be closer. Rodrick responded easily, curling his arms around her slender waist and tugging her into his lap. Despite their passionate embrace, their kiss was gentle. It just proved more to Gwen how much she truly did love him.

He was the first to pull away, his breath coming out in hot, short puffs. Gwen touched his face, her fingertips brushing the hair out of his eyes. Rodrick shook his head slightly, catching her hand.

"Are all girls this confusing?" He muttered, not entirely unkindly.

Gwen could only laugh for she couldn't answer that question herself. She broke eye contact with him, trying to find the words to explain what had happened.

"You could say that." She finally murmured. "I guess I just needed-"

"Gwen," Rodrick interrupted, taking her face in his hands. "You don't need to explain yourself to me."

That only made Gwen give another snort of laughter.

"I made you _cry_, Rodrick." She insisted. "I think an explanation is in order." He opened his mouth in surprise, but she continued on before he could say a word. "I never wanted to hurt you, but you know that. I just think I didn't realize that I actually did love you. I mean, I thought for a long time that I did, and when you said that…"

She broke off, suddenly too emotional to speak. Rodrick waited patiently, giving her a sad smile that had guilt written all over it.

"You were right to say it, though, 'cause now I know that I do love you." Gwen smiled at him, putting her hands on either side of his face. "I love you, Rodrick Heffley."

And that just made him want to kiss her all the more.


End file.
